The Physics and Astronomy Department offers a bachelor of science degree in Physics as well as minors in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Physics. Example 4-year schedules are available on the Department of Physics & Astronomy website. The Physics and Astronomy Department offers a bachelor of science degree in Physics as well as minors in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Physics.

Common Curriculum (CC) Courses
Courses numbered in the 050’s are designed particularly for non-science majors seeking to satisfy Common Curriculum requirements, and all of these courses carry Common Curriculum credit. These courses may count toward the major in astronomy or the interdepartmental major (see requirements for the Astronomy major and Astronomy ID major), but they may not be counted toward the major in physics or toward any other science or engineering major.

Course Selection Guidelines

Placement: Students who score a grade of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement C-exam (mechanics and/or electromagnetics), an A on the physics A-levels, a 5 or above on the Higher Level or a 6 or above on the standard exam of the International Baccalaureate (provided they earn the IB diploma), may be given credit for up to a maximum of two courses (PHY 120 and/or PHY 121 ). If a student does not earn the IB diploma, they will be given credit only if they pass the higher level exam with a grade of 6 or above. Students who score a grade of 4 or 5 on both the Physics 1 and Physics 2 AP exams will earn one SET credit in Physics.

Prerequisites: There are no placement test requirements for courses in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. All courses numbered 100 or above have prerequisites. Please review the course descriptions below to identify the requirements.